Soon RBIHF will write Belgian sports history by sending an U18 Women's National Team for the 1st time to the IIHF World Championships WU18 DIV IIB in Bulgaria. The team coached by Tim Vos and Chinouk Van Calster will leave on the 24th of January to compete against Bulgaria, Estonia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, and New-Zealand.
After try-outs in September and several practices, the team also played a trial game against the Dutch Women’s U18 National team. Before that game it was a big question mark where we stood with the team. The game started very equally until minute 8 of the 1st period when the Netherlands scored a first goal via a tip-in. Our girls kept their heads high and continued to battle and that resulted in an equalizer in the second period scored by Anke Steeno assisted by Louise Paulissen. In the 3rd period, the team remained committed but after two minutes, the Dutch Women scored their second goal. The combination of an experienced opponent and the fatigue from the hard efforts of Team Belgium resulted in a 3rd and 4th goal for the Dutch.
Nonetheless, it was a learning experience in all aspects for the girls and the staff. All in all, we are very proud of the performance and especially the commitment and the work ethic of the Belgian girls. Hopefully, this will lead to great moments on the ice in the future!
The team has still a final practice ahead. Keep an eye on the women’s facebook and Instagram pages and of course the RBIHF website where we will keep you posted about the tournament. You can also check the link of the tournament website.
Game Schedule Team Belgium U18W
26.01.2023 – 16:30 (15:30) – ISL vs. BEL
27.01.2023 – 16:30 (15:30) – BEL vs. EST
29.01.2023 – 16:30 (15:30) – KAZ vs. BEL
31.01. 2023 – 16:30 (15:30) – BEL vs. NZL
01.02.2023 – 16:30 (15:30) – BUL vs. BEL